Investigation Underway Into Shooting Death Of Armed Man In Santa Barbara County

Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 2:25pm

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a standoff, a slow speed chase, and ultimately a confrontation which led to the shooting death of a man by law enforcement officers.

It started just after nine Monday night, on the 200 block of Broadway Avenue in Santa Maria. County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a 911 call were told by a woman she had been threatened by a man with a gun. A sergeant spotted the suspect at a nearby gas station, but the man said he had guns in his vehicle, and would not surrender.

He then drove away, leading deputies, CHP officers, and Santa Maria Police on a slow speed chase. The man stopped on Preisker Lane. Deputies say at first, he threw several guns out of his vehicle. But, they say he then got out, and picked up one of the weapons, leading officers to open fire, fatally wounding the man.

His name hasn’t been released yet. No officers were injured in the incident. The Sheriff’s Department isn’t releasing specific details of the shooting yet.